Fischler Report: Kings' dominant run brings back memories

While one game does not make a series, nor anoint a winner,
there’s something special about the
Kings. After one victory in Glendale – and a
1-0 series lead over Phoenix – Darryl Suter’s sextet
impresses our pal Howard Berger.

In this excellent analysis from his blog, “Berger
Bytes,” Howard offers this commentary:

While the Kings haven’t won anything yet, they are
methodically piecing together the most impressive Stanley Cup romp
in nearly a quarter-century.

Not since the dynasty of Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers
in the latter half of the 1980s has a playoff team threatened to
knife through the competition with such brevity.

L.A. opened the Western Conference Final with a 4-2 victory
over the Phoenix Coyotes, improving its phenomenal record in the
2012 post-season to 9-and-1 (6-and-0 on the road, a club
record).

We have to go back to 1988, when Edmonton lost two games in four
playoff rounds, to recall a team barnstorming its way through the
Stanley Cup tournament.

The Oilers knocked off Winnipeg 4-1; Calgary 4-0 and
Detroit 4-1 before trampling the Bruins 4-0 in the Cup final
– best remembered for a power-failure at Boston Garden in
Game 4 (16:37 of the second period) that forced postponement of the
match with the score tied 3-3.

Edmonton completed the sweep on home ice two nights later.

The Oilers of that era were arguably the most talented
young team in the history of the NHL, with Gretzky, Jari Kurri,
Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr –
all future Hall of Famers – leading the way.

Rather than sneaking into the playoffs on the final weekend of
the regular season, as Los Angeles did this spring, the Oilers of
1987-88 finished a solid third in the 21-team NHL with 99 points
– behind only Calgary and Montreal.

When the playoffs began, it was no contest, and hardly a
surprise, as Edmonton breezed to its fourth championship in five
years before shocking the sports world by trading Gretzky to the
Kings less than three months later.

Conversely, what Los Angeles is doing this spring was entirely
unforeseen when the playoffs began the second week of April.

Most experts had the Kings bowing rather quickly to Vancouver in
the opening round.

Instead, the defending Conference champion got blind-sided on
home ice in the first two matches – losing both – en
route to a meek, five-game surrender.

St. Louis, the NHL’s third-place club in the regular
season, was also expected to oust the Kings. But, the road warriors
from California marched into Scottrade Center and repeated their
opening-round feat by grabbing the first two encounters.

The Blues never recovered and were swept from the playoffs amid
cascading euphoria at Staples Center – L.A. becoming the
first eighth-place team to banish the No. 1 and 2 seeds in a
Conference.

Now, the routine appears to be starting all over again.

Phoenix had no business taking last night’s series debut
into the third period tied 2-2.

The Kings swarmed the Coyotes in the opening frame –
compiling a 17-4 edge in shots on goal – and increased that
margin to 34-18 after two.

In a familiar scenario, however, Phoenix goalie Mike Smith kept
his club alive – as he did through much of the Conference
semifinal against Nashville.

That’s why the Kings haven’t won anything yet; their
opponent in this round is proving to be the ultimate survivor.

But L.A. doesn’t offer much hope.

Though idle for seven days after dispatching the Blues, the
Kings came out in the first period as if they had played the
previous night.

The notion of a languorous start dissipated
immediately, as Los Angeles maintained puck-possession in the
attacking zone and struck for its customary quick goal – Anze
Kopitar beating Smith just 3:53 into the match.

Ultimately, the margin of defeat flattered the home side.

OBSERVATIONS:

Former Capitals star Dale Hunter called
it quits after one season as head coach in Washington. (Getty
Images)

* DALE HUNTER’S rapid exit as
Capitals head coach reflects the man’s concise, compact press
conferences. While Hunter may have been comfortable behind the
Washington bench, he seemed distinctly UN-comfortable discussing
his team; win or lose. He courageously sliced Alex Ovechkin’s
playing time in a move that will be analyzed for years to come. Our
view is that the Caps marquee player’s style was
inappropriately emasculated. On the other hand, under
Hunter’s orchestration the Capitals ousted the
defending-champ Bruins. And with a third-string goalie, his club
came within two goals of taking out the Rangers; no small feat. But
when Dale accepted the job – with only a one-year
contract – he clearly made two points: 1. He wanted
to get a feel for NHL coaching and, 2. He wanted to see if he liked
it enough to hang around for another 82-game run. With his
decision, we know the answer, succinctly and without
Ovechkin’s vote of confidence!

* LOU LAMORIELLO (Providence,
R.I.) shuns praise the way sunbathers avoid mosquitos. But the
fact that his Devils are into their third playoff round says
volumes about Lou’s master strokes. A team
that TheHockey News picked to
finish 11th fooled the experts thanks to pivotal
moves by Lou. The Devils g.m put together a roster full of scoring
depth with a blend of experience and youth. Third round steal and
current Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique proved invaluable,
serving as the club’s top center with Travis Zajac out due to
injury. And Lou brilliantly managed fourth overall selection Adam
Larsson, using veteran Peter Harrold as a fill-in when the
19-year-old defenseman experienced some growing pains.
Additionally, mid-season acquisitions Alexei Ponikarovsky and Marek
Zidlicky continue to make major contributions.

* BRUCE
BOUDREAU’S re-signing through
2014-15 is good news in Duck-land. Cousin Brucie knows
his onions -- and pucks -- plus he’s a colorful character who
makes hockey fun in and out of Disneyland. Good move by Bob
Murray!

GOSSIP:

The quiet man behind Lightning hockey
is owner Jeff Vinik (Weston, Mass.). Unlike
some NHL Board members, Vinik prefers quiet action over
flamboyance. Here’s a recent example: A $5 million dollar
video scoreboard will be installed at the Tampa Bay Times Forum
prior to the start of next season. Vinik is privately
funding the project. The upgraded display board will
feature the largest high definition center-hung video displays in
any U.S. or Canadian arena. The installation of this high-def board
follows $40 million dollars worth of arena upgrades made last
summer. …

Devils veteran Patrik
Elias on his club’s run to the Eastern
Conference Finals: “I’m actually a little more nervous
now than I was in the early years because you don’t get too
many opportunities to be in the playoffs. And, after many years,
you know when the team has a good chance, a legitimate chance to
accomplish something. We feel that we can, so you don’t want
to waste that opportunity.” …

Michael Arace of the Columbus
Dispatch believes the Blue
Jackets will have plenty of options this summer as
they look to trade star Rick Nash.
“The summer will provide a more fertile field for a Nash
deal,” Arace writes. “If Nash is not moved at the
draft, he will be moved when free-agent season commences and after
the marquee unrestricted free-agent forward
available, Zach Parise, signs a
contract. San Jose
and Boston, both first round victims,
probably will be in there pitching harder than they were in
February. If the Rangers fall, the bidding
war will escalate.”